1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly, to containers especially adapted for holding sheetrock mud or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of containers especially adapted for holding sheetrock mud and like materials is well known in the art. Also, other containers of more general design can be used for holding sheetrock mud and the like. In this respect, throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to such containers, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,603,428, 5,667,092, 5,855,304, 6,105,816, and 6,138,864.
More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,428 discloses a joint compound container that has hand grip portion located at the bottom of the container. Since the center of gravity of such a container is located above the bottom-mounted hand grip, the stability of the container with respect to tipping over is compromised. In this respect, it would be desirable if a container for holding sheetrock mud and the like were provided which has hand grip portions located above the bottom of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,092 discloses a container which as a bottom container portion and a top lid portion. However, no provision is made for scraping an implement, such as a sheetrock knife, that can be used for applying and smoothing sheetrock mud onto a sheetrock surface. In this respect, for purposes of convenience, it would be desirable to provide a container which includes a structure that is especially designed for scraping sheetrock mud and the like off of a sheetrock knife.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,304 discloses a paint can that has container portion and a lid portion. Customarily a wet paint brush is wiped on the top rim of the container portion. When this is done, paint is interposed between the lid and the container. When dried, such paint often forms an adhesive bond between the lid and the container. In another context, in scraping sheetrock mud off of a sheetrock knife, it is desirable to provide a container that permits scraping of the sheetrock knife inside the container itself, so that sheetrock mud is not trapped between the top rim of the container and the lid to form an adhesive bond between the top rim of the container and the lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,816 discloses a painter's aid that includes a portion for scraping a paintbrush, wherein the scraping portion is located above the top rim of a lower container. Just as discussed with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,304 discussed above, this patent does not disclose a structure inside the container for scraping paint off of a paintbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,864 discloses a utility closure for a mud bucket. This device provides for holding a tool along side the bucket. To hold the tool along the side of the bucket, a securing device is employed that encircles the bucket. To avoid the use of such a bucket-encircling device, and for purposes of simplicity, it would be desirable if a sheetrock mud container were provided that includes means for securing a sheetrock knife that are located on the top of the lid of the device.
Still other features would be desirable in a sheetrock mud container apparatus. For example, most commonly, all the necessary tools for repairing sheetrock are sold separately. That is, the sheetrock mud, the mud container with knife scraper, and the sheetrock knife are sold separately. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus which provides all the necessary tools in one package for repairing sheetrock. That is, it would be desirable to provide a single package in which the sheetrock mud, the mud container with knife scraper, and the sheetrock knife are sold as a single combination product.
The current method of sheetrock mud clean-up requires a person to remove the sheetrock mud from the container and place it in a round bucket, purchased separately. Then, the container must be washed out for future use. The sheetrock knife must also be cleaned and stored separately. In this respect, it would be desirable to reduce clean-up time by attaching an airtight lid onto the container, by simply wiping off the sheetrock knife, and by attaching it to the lid for storage.
When separate items that are used in a sheetrock mud operation have to be gathered from separate locations and brought together at a single location, there is often a significant amount of time spent gathering and assembling the separate items. This is especially true when one or more of such items have been lost or misplaced during storage. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus that eliminates time spent looking for separate item which may have been lost or misplaced during storage.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use containers for storing sheetrock mud, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a sheetrock mud container apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) has hand grip portions located above the bottom of the container; (2) provides a container which includes a structure that is especially designed for scraping sheetrock mud and the like off of a sheetrock knife; (3) provides a container that permits scraping of the sheetrock knife inside the container itself, so that sheetrock mud is not trapped between the top rim of the container and the lid to form an adhesive bond between the top rim of the container and the lid; (4) includes means for securing a sheetrock knife that are located on the top of the lid of the device; (5) provides an apparatus having all the necessary tools in one package for repairing sheetrock; (6) provides a single package in which the sheetrock mud, the mud container with knife scraper, and the sheetrock knife are sold as a single combination product; (7) reduces clean-up time by attaching an airtight lid onto the container, by simply wiping off the sheetrock knife, and by attaching it to the lid for storage; and (8) eliminates time spent looking for separate items which may have been lost or misplaced during storage. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique sheetrock mud container apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.